RADIO
The theme of this week's Warning Signals piece is essentially "repeat offenders." We'll be taking a look at some players who we've already discussed in the past but are once again throwing up duds at the worst possible time. For the most part, a lot of the key fantasy wide receivers are what they are at this point yet a few bad apples could potentially spoil your championship hopes.
If you call last week's piece, I mentioned that you'll generally want to stick with the players you see listed since they've been rather dependable prior to Week 13. That isn't quite the case this time around. Instead, all three receivers mentioned are on a "see what else you have" basis. None of them are must starts nor are they a must bench. Every fantasy owner's team is going to have a different set of circumstances regarding the players we touch on heading into Week 15.
Overall, you'll want to take a look at a fantasy analyst's rankings you trust and weigh your options, adhering to the risk connected with those sending out warning signals. Ultimately though, it's the fantasy playoffs so it's time to stop fooling around and start making the tough choices.
Wide Receivers Sending Out Warning Signals
Amari Cooper – WR, OAK
Of the three wide receivers we'll be looking at this week, Amari Cooper actually concerns me the most. That may come as a surprise to some given the fact that he went without a catch during last week's upset victory of the Denver Broncos. The truth of the matter is rather simple in that Cooper has shown flashes of superstar potential over the course of the season. Even though the other two guys we'll talk about have done that in the past, they're individual circumstances are a lot more troublesome.
Unfortunately for Cooper, the days of him being a borderline WR1 earlier in the season appear to be long gone. That's not to say he can't put up those sort of numbers at the drop of the hat, it just means the expectations need to be lowered considerably during the fantasy playoffs. Throw in the resurgence of Michael Crabtree (who was just treated to a nice contract extension) and this is an offense that surprisingly doesn't need to lean on one playmaker to win football games.
Looking ahead to the Raiders schedule, they're next two outings should definitely work in Cooper's favor so don't sweat that catch-less performance too much. Sunday's matchup against the Green Bay Packers in Oakland has shootout potential and the following week's tilt with the San Diego Chargers could easily be a rout in the Raiders favor. Unless you have some serious depth (which is certainly possible for a playoff team), you'll want to stick with Cooper as a low-end WR2. He has enough upside to win you a week even if those games are now few and far between.
Emmanuel Sanders – WR, DEN
Last week I ended up grouping both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders together since I felt like they're recent struggles were tied to an inconsistent offense. The Broncos were in the midst of a bizarre quarterback dilemma that isn't even resolved yet. That being said, Demaryius Thomas ended up having himself a big bounce back game to the tune of 10 receptions for 95 yards while Emmanuel Sanders had just two catches for 17 yards. Suffice it to say, they're trending in completely opposite directions.
I had mentioned that neither Thomas or Sanders were the automatic starters they used to be and I still think that argument holds water. Thomas, however, looks to be the more reliable of the two this late in the season, something that was never really in doubt at the start of the year anyway. Sanders was once viewed as a high-end WR2 with WR1 potential but after two straight games of under 20 yards, it's looking like he's bordering on bench status. Again, this is all about seeing what else you have so there's no clearcut answer here. Be smart about your team and don't just assume that you can win on big names.
Given Sanders' draft day value, there's a decent chance you're stuck starting him although there's an equal possibility you've been smart about your waiver wire pickups all season long. Guys like Eric Decker, Allen Hurns, John Brown, Michael Crabtree, and Martavis Bryant could have been rock solid pickups for you along the way and I would certainly prefer any of them over Emmanuel Sanders right now.
Dez Bryant – WR, DAL
Oh boy, I'm actually kind of disappointed that we have to talk about Dez Bryant again but the circumstances warrant revisiting. In what is basically a lost season for the Dallas Cowboys, Bryant's fantasy status has been marred by both his own injury woes and Tony Romo's collarbone. (Please spare me the "what are you talking about? The Cowboys can still make the playoffs!" delusions. Yes, they can make the playoffs because the division is abysmal. They aren't winning the Super Bowl. I digress...)
For a while the idea was that you have to start Dez Bryant given the amount of talent he possesses and that the Cowboys won't be stupid enough to not force feed him the ball even with Matt Cassel under center. Well folks, they can try to force feed him all they want but seven targets for one reception of nine yards ain't winning you a fantasy matchup anytime soon. This is a real shame for someone as talented as Bryant, especially since he worked hard to come back from an injury that could have just as easily ended his season entirely.
Out of Cooper, Sanders, and Bryant, Dez is the one I'd be most likely to sit. I just can't see myself hitching my fantasy championship dreams to the idea that Matt Cassel is going to somehow get Dez Bryant the ball when it matters most. I know I mentioned a slew of wide receivers I'd start over Sanders, all of which could have been found on waivers at one point or another. With Bryant, I'd venture even further down the rankings list.
Updates From Last Week
Julio Jones – WR, ATL
It wasn't pretty but Julio Jones managed to rack up 88 yards against Carolina's Josh Norman in last week's blowout loss. The Atlanta offense is pretty much a mess right now but as I've said before, Julio has matchup-proof talent so you just have to keep trotting him out there and hope for the best. This week's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars might be the time for him to finally end his five game touchdown draught. Unfortunately, that's followed by another battle with Norman the following week.
Larry Fitzgerald – WR, ARI
Speaking of touchdown draughts, Larry Fitzgerald's continued as well as he too is now on a five game dry spell of his own. Fitzgerald had just six receptions for 41 yards against the Vikings on Thursday night last week but the Cardinals have a tasty matchup against the Eagles on Sunday night football waiting in the wings. You should Carson Palmer to sling the ball all over the field so stick with Fitzgerald during your championship run.
Demaryius Thomas– WR, DEN
We already touched on Demaryius Thomas' 95-yard outing last week so all I'll add here is that you kind of have to keep starting him as well. It'll be tough to have high hopes and I'd definitely be nervous about it but I can't imagine you have two or three options better than Demaryius right now.
